Mozambique's Ferroviario da Beira will return to Kigali for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) finals year after Saturday’s East Division semi-final victory over Urunani of Burundi saw them secure an automatic qualification.
The Mozambican got the job done as they withstood a fierce fight back from Urunani during the first semi-final held at the Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg, to qualify for the BAL for the second time in a row.
Beira beat the Burundians 68-62 on Saturday to progress to the final on Sunday which they will no doubt play bragging rights to.
Urunani will have another shot at qualifying for the elite league in a Third-Place playoff game on Sunday.
The first half was a tightly-contested affair, and Beira headed into the second quarter with a single-point lead (29-28).
Knowing what was at stake, Beira maintained their composure throughout the game and held their nerve whenever their Burundian opponents made some runs.
Beira had a three-point advantage (65-62) with just a minute to go, but a combination of two missed shots that were followed by an Adonis Filer's turnover damaged Urunani's chances to reverse the score. Eventually Will Perry decided the encounter from the charity stripe.
Helton Ubisse knew his role in the semi-final: dominating in the paint area for Beira at both ends. He diligently fulfilled his positional duty at both ends and delivered double (21 points and 13 rebounds).
Ubisse put back from a missed Will Perry's layup with seconds remaining capped off a great performance from the Beira star man.
Perry and his compatriot Ismael Nurmamade also played significant roles in terms of points production, as they contributed 14 and 13 points respectively while Michael Murry also crashed 11 boards.
The Mozambicans lifted their game against Urunani and did not let the disappointment of losing the final group stage game against City Oilers get them down.
Beira stepped on the floor in desperation mode to get the job and they did just that. And forcing Adonis Filer to a 3-for-15 field-goal shooting has proven vital for a team that will be playing in the BAL for a second straight season.
"I am happy, and my team is happy. We played excellent defense despite them getting runs against us. In the second half we controlled the game and that was it. Now we are going to the BAL. After the tournament, I want us to rest." Beira head coach Luis Hernandez after qualifying his side to the BAL.
Although Urunani did everything they possibly could, it wasn't meant to be for Burundians who will try their last chance to qualify for the BAL on Sunday when they take on and City Oilers to decide who will join Beira and Cape Town Tigers to the BAL.
Ahead of the game against the Uganda representatives, Urunani head coach said, "We have one more game and I know the attitude of my players. They are winners. Tonight they are disappointed and so am I. We have one more game on Sunday and we are going to give our all.”